Clutch mechanism.



APPLmATIoH FILED JULY 8,1908.

923,180. Patented June 1,1909.

' ,',Naeaaiea 1 umrnns'rarns pagana* onirica,

,f ,i c ARTHURV r. JACKSON, or New YORK, Nt Y.

CLUTCH MECHANISM.

v To all whom it may concern: l

Beit known that I, ARTHUR F. JAoKsoN, a

'i i citizen of the United States, and residentof c In carrying out my invention I provide a 'i pluralityjofSievers, that are pivotally su ported andhave curved inner surfaces to t f t c around or encircle a body, each lever having a projecting relatively Athin and preferably tapering spring-like iinger, all so arranged that the 'finger of one lever lies under the j next adjacent lever on one side of it, and lies over the ylinger on the other side vof it,A with means forcausing inward movement or pres- 'sure ofsaidlevers, whereby one lever when j moved `inwardly notonly causes its finger to t press yagainst the` circular body, but also causes the adj acentor underlying linger or fingers also to press against said body for .lyinventionalso comprises novel details of improvement and combinations of parts rthat willbe morefully hereinafter set forth and theny pointed out in the claims.

kReference is to be had to the accompany y .ing drawings forming kpart hereof, wherein,

Figurefl is a face view of a clutch mechanismembodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a crosssection, enlarged, substantially on the plane of the yline 2, 2, in Fig. l looking in the direction ofthe arrows,I*`ig. 8 is a detail perspective viewy of part ofthe lever actuating f f i ring, and Figli is a perspective view of one of the levers.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the accompanying drawings the nuf meral lindicates acircular body, which as illustrated is in the nature of a shaft, although the same may be a disk or hollow body, such as a can, the peripheryof which it is intended to grip or clamp. Surrounding body l are levers 2, Whose inner faces 2at are suitably curved and said levers are'pivotally supported by anysuitable means to enable them to act j Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 8, 1908. Serial No. 442,441.

Patented June 1, 1909.

upon body' l. I have shown a disk or support 3 surrounding body 1 and supporting pins 4: upon which levers 2 are pivoted, and at 5 is a thrust ring suitably lixed up on body l as by a screw@ andlocated adjacent disk 3 to limit the movement of said disk along body l. Levers 2 have projecting tapering lingers or extensions 2b which overlap one another, the arrangement shown being such that the 'linger 2b of one lever lies under the main part 2C of the lever next adjacent on one side and lies over the finger 21D of the lever next adjacent on the other side, the relative arrange ment of parts being such that when the levers are pressed inwardly their lingers 2b will not only thereby be pushed against body l by the corresponding overlying lever, but each finger will also press the Enger 2b within it against body l. Said fingers are so shaped and tapered as to properly follow and bear upon the periphery of body l to make proper frictional contact therewith, and each iinger is strengthened in action by reason of the bearing of the adjacent lever upon such finger.

Any suitable means may be provided for pressing the levers inwardly toward body 1. I have shown each lever provided with. a block or bearing piece 7 the operating portion of which is inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of body l. For this purpose I have shown the outer surface?a of block or bearing 7 as outwardly inclined, and correspondingly inclined grooves 7b are shown provided on opposite sides of block 7 receiving the inward projections 8b of block 8 whose channels or grooves Sa receive the parts 7 a of the levers and are correspondingly inclined, the blocks 8 being adapted to slide upon the blocks 7. Blocks 8 are secured on the inner surface of a ring 9 having a groove or raceway 9@ receiving the anti-friction balls l0. At 1l is an external ring having an inner groove or raceway llareceiving the balls l0. The arrangement is such that ring 9 may revolve freely with respect to ring 11 and yet when the latter is moved laterally ring l9 and blocks 8 will be moved with respect to blocks 7 to thereby cause the latter to push the levers 2 toward body l or away from the latter. While any suitahle means may be provided for adjusting ring 1l laterally I havey shown the latter provided on diametrically op osite sides with studs or pins 12 receiving t ie forked ends 13a of a yokelever 13 which may be pivotally supported in any suitable manner, as at 14, whereby as said lever is rocked the ring 1 1 will be moved laterally in either direction to carry ring 9 and blocks 8 with it.

With the body 1 fitted between the levers as illustrated in Fig. 1 and the rings 9 and 11 in substantially the position shown in Fig. 2,

` the body 1 or levers 2 may' have relative rotary motion with respect to each other. When ring 1 1 is moved in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 2, its blocks sliding along the blocks 7 of levers 2 will, by reason of the inclined portions 7 a of blocks 7, cause the latter and levers 2 to be pressed inwardly as desired, and thereupon the ngers 2b will grip body 1 and exert frictional contact therewith, each of the levers acting upon the corresponding iinger 2b in the manner before described. 1f body 1 rotates it will carry the levers and their support or disk around with it in accordance with the frictional contact of the levers therewith, or if the levers be caused to rotate they will carry body 1 around correspondingly. lf body 1 is merely to be gripped for holding it iirmly so as to strengthen it temporarily, such as a tin can where the same is to be iilled with ma terial, it will be merely necessary to fit the clutching mechanism over the can and then move ring l1 in the proper direction to cause the levers to grip the body. The levers will be released from the body readily and quickly by merely moving the ring 11 outwardly whereby blocks 8 will slide along blocks '7. The projections Sb working in the grooves 7'b not only serve to shift the levers inwardly and outwardly but aid in sustaining ail levers when they are released from Various changes may be made in the details of construction and relative arrangements of parts set forth, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what l claim is:

1. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of circularly disposed levers provided with spring-like iingers, the iinger of one lever lying opposite the main part of an adj a` cent lever and to be o erated thereby, and means for moving said evers inwardly.

2. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of circularly disposed levers arovided with ngers, the iinger of one lever lying opposite the main part of the lever at one side of said iirst named lever, and said finger lying over the linger of the lever at the other side of said irst named lever to cause said first named lever to operate on both fingers,

iinger of one lever lying under the next ad-j jacent lever to be engaged and operated thereby, a support to which said levers are pivotally connected, and means to operate said levers.

4. The combination of a plurality of circularly disposed levers having curved faces and provided with spring-like fingers which overlap one another respectively, and means connected with said levers and movable with respect thereto for operating said levers.

5. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of circularly disposed levers having inclined blocks, a ring surrounding said levers and having operating surfaces to co-act with the iirst named blocks, and meansfor moving said ring laterally.

6. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of circularly disposed levers having inclined blocks, a ring surrounding said levers and having corresponding blocks to co-act with the first named blocks, and means for moving said ring laterally.

7. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of circularly disposed levers having inclined blocks provided with grooves, a ring surrounding said levers and having blocks provided with projections entering said grooves and arranged to co-act with the inclined blocks, and means for moving said ring laterally.

8. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of circularly disposed levers, a ring surrounding said levers, means interposed between said ring and levers for actuating the latter by the ring, an outer ring independent of the iirst named ring, antifriction balls'between sairlV rings, and means for operating the second named ring.

9. A clutch mechanism comprising aplurality of levers having fingers, a finger of one` lever lying under the next adjacent lever, means to support said levers, a ring surrounding said levers, means interposed between said ring and levers for operating the latter by the ring, and means for moving said ring laterally.

10. A clutch mechanism comprising a plurality of levers having iingers, aimger of one lever lying under the next adjacent flever, means to support said levers, a ring surrounding said levers, means interposed'between said ring and levers for operatingthe latter by the ring, an outer ring, antiefriction balls interposed between said rings, and means for operating the outer ring.

Signed at New 'York city, in the county of New York, and State of New York,`this 29th day of June, A. D. 1908.

ARTHUR F. JACKSON. l/Vitnesses:

T. F. BOURNE, MARIE F. 'ViAINRIGfHr 

